Tradition III: Truancy
by Ael L. Bolt
Summary: Shortly after the events in “Tradition II: Talent”, the Marauders Neo are on yet another mission.


Truancy  
  
By Ael L. Bolt  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Genre: Humor/Mystery  
  
Keywords: Marauders, NOT MWPP  
  
Time frame: Around Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts (1996 or so)  
  
Summary: Shortly after the events in "Talent", the Marauders Neo are on yet another mission.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Slytherin dorms were silent, dead silent as only midnight can bring. The dark, damp hallways that stretched into seemingly infinte blackness echoed slightly as one wizard and two felines stealithly crept towards the wing labeled SIXTH YEAR BOYS. The wizard queitly pushed the aforementioned door open, wincing as it creaked, and the smaller cat hissed at him.  
  
"Not my fault," the wizard whispered. "It's not *my* fault they're all too stupid to oil the hinges every now and then..."  
  
A growl from the larger cat silenced the wizard, and bright green eyes glinted dangerously in the dark. The white tiger became another wizard with a pop of displaced air, and the housecat likewise became a young witch. "Trigger," the former tiger muttered. "Do you really want to wake up the whole bloody Slytherin House?"  
  
"Not in particular," Trigger replied, keeping his voice hushed. He pulled out a potions vial, the liquid inside glowing a faint white. "When do I get to use this, Softpaws?"  
  
"We have to cast the first spell before you can," the witch answered. "I'll do that." She took out her wand. "Which one is his?"  
  
The taller wizard scanned the dark room with luminous emerald eyes, before finally pointing to a bed at the back. "That's the one."  
  
Silently, Softpaws crept up to the side of the bed, muttering an incantation under her breath. Pink sparkles shot out of her wand, swirling around the sleeping figure before being absorbed. She glanced up at Trigger and nodded. A bit more loudly, the wizard made his way over to anything and everything shiny in the room, moving on to the nearby common room when it became clear that he had gotten the potion on everything in the dorm. He returned a few moments later with an empty vial. "Done," he announced in a whisper. "Your turn. Whitestripe."  
  
Whitestripe's mouth curved up in a somewhat malicious smile, and he waved his empty hands over the object of everyone's attentions. Soft blue light emanated from his fingers, slowly sifting down to settle against the sleeping figure. He grinned. "Our work here is finished. Come, we fly!"  
  
One wizard and two felines left, without leaving a sign of who had been present.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Hey Draco, come on, we're going to be late for class!" Blaise Zabini called for the zillionth time, looking irritated. When he recieved no reply save the silence, he scowled. "That's it. I don't care how important his Daddy is, he can't get out of going to class." And with that, he stomped over to the bed on the far side of the room and threw back the covers.  
  
And promptly squealed like a girl as a bleach-white ferret, grey eyes wide and crazed, viciously attacked the silver stripes on his school uniform.  
  
This led to several amusing minutes of Zabini frantically striking at the ferret, who somehow managed to not get hit as it tried to pull the silver right off Zabini's shirt. Of course, the shift in position quickly called the ferret's attention to far shinier things, and it quickly scrabbled to collect and drag away all the assorted silver objects in the room, stashing them under Draco Malfoy's bed. Then it dashed out of the room in search of more shiny things.  
  
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?!"  
  
Zabini ran out of the dorm room just in time to see the ferret leap right at Professor Snape's face and attempt to tug his still-gold hair from his scalp. The enraged professor snatched up the crazed rodent by its tail, glaring at it before turning his murderous gaze on his students. "Whose pet is this?" he asked in a dangerous tone.  
  
Zabini swallowed. "Don't know, sir. It was hiding in Draco's bed."  
  
Snape looked completely gobsmacked for a full twenty seconds. His eyebrows drew together in confusion, concern, and a slight hint of suspicion. "This is Draco's pet?"  
  
Blaise shrugged. "Don't know, sir. I've never seen it before in my life."  
  
Snape scowled. "Well, I'll just have to keep it for him, and perhaps if he asks nicely I won't use it in a potion." He did an about-face and strode back to his room, dumping the keening ferret into a cage.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
About halfway through the day, Snape began to feel an ugly suspicion. No one had seen Draco all day, and he hadn't even shown up for Potions class. Normally the boy wouldn't miss an opportunity to see Potter get told off, but the blond Slytherin hadn't made an appearance at all.  
  
He cast a glance at the ferret in the cage. The tiny creature was curled up in a corner, regarding the man with a look of shame and hurt confusion. At a startled, closer look, Snape noticed that it had grey eyes...and its fur was a peculiar shade of silver-white.  
  
Realization hit, and he had picked up the ferret and was off to the Infirmary before he really comprehended what had happened. He scowled ferociously as he stalked down the corridor, and his lips curled in a sneer. "*Potter*," he hissed.  
  
'Potter will pay.'  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Luminous emerald eyes sparkled in amusement as they tracked the professor's hurried march. "Do you think he's figured it out?"  
  
His two companions shared a glance, then turned back and chorused, "Not a clue."  
  
The End! 


End file.
